Account administration for hosted services

• US 8,601,374 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2007
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Parham, Derek, Hannon, Stephanie Katherine, Kowitz, Braden, Yu, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): LEGGETT, ANDREA C.
• Application Number:
  US11/706,169
• Publication Number:
  US 20070198938A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,485 Days
• Field of Search: 715/733, 715/745, 709/224, 709/228
• US Class Current: 715/733
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5054 Automatic deployment of services triggered by the service manager, e.g. service implementation by automatic configuration of network components
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5064 Customer relationship management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1441 Countermeasures against malicious traffic countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

A graphical user interface for rendering hosted services is provided. The user interface includes a set of hosted service identifiers associated with a domain name. The set of hosted service identifiers is further broken down into a first subset of service identifiers and a second subset of service identifiers. Each identifier in the first subset corresponds to a service provided by a first service provider and each identifier in the second subset corresponds to a service provided by a second service provider. One of the services provided by the first service provider is rendered in response to a user selection of one of the first subset of service identifiers. One of the services provided by the second service provider is rendered in response to a user selection of one of the second subset of service identifiers.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

at a client system having one or more processors and memory storing one or more programs executed by the one or more processors;

concurrently displaying a set of hosted service identifiers for a domain name of a user account of a user of the client system, the set of concurrently displayed hosted service identifiers including;

a first subset of service identifiers corresponding to services provided by a first service provider; and

a second subset of service identifiers corresponding to services provided by a second service provider distinct from the first service provider;

in accordance with a first determined scope of services provided by the first service provider, receiving one of the services provided by the first service provider in response to a user selection of one of the first subset of service identifiers, wherein the first determined scope of services is determined in accordance with the domain name of the user account of the user of the client system; and

in accordance with a second determined scope of services provided by the second service provider, receiving one of the services provided by the second service provider in response to a user selection of one of the second subset of service identifiers, wherein the second determined scope of services is determined in accordance with the domain name of the user account of the user of the client system.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying statistical information associated with at least one of the services provided by the first and second service providers.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the statistical information includes high, low, and average daily user counts of the at least one of the services during a predefined time period and a count of users currently using the at least one of the services.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying user account information associated with the set of hosted services for the domain name of the user account of the user of the client system.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the user account information includes a plurality of user account records, each user account record corresponding to a respective user and having multiple information fields, including a user'"'"'s name, an account type, an account name, an account resource indicator, and a timestamp indicating last visit by the user.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the account type is one selected from the group comprising of “

Newly Created”

, “

Suspended”

, “

Active”

, “

Administrator”

, and “

Deleted”

.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein different account types in the group are displayed using at least one of distinct colors, distinct backgrounds, distinct font styles, and distinct font sizes.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

displaying additional information of a user account in response to a user selection of a user account record whose account type is “

Deleted”

, wherein the additional information includes a message indicating a residual time period before the user account is permanently deleted and an account revival link; and

sending a request to restore the user account in response to a user selection of the account revival link.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the user account records can be sorted by at least one of the multiple information fields.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the respective user has one or more email addresses associated with the domain name associated with the user account of the user of the client system and one of the email addresses includes the user'"'"'s account name.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a domain name alias for the domain name of the user account of the user of the client system, wherein the user can access the set of hosted services at the domain name alias.

12. A computer system, comprising:

memory;

at least one processor; and

at least one program stored in the memory and executed by the at least one processor, the at least one program including;

instructions for concurrently displaying a set of hosted service identifiers for a domain name of a user account of a user of the client system, the set of concurrently displayed hosted service identifiers including;

a first subset of service identifiers corresponding to services provided by a first service provider; and

a second subset of service identifiers corresponding to services provided by a second service provider distinct from the first service provider;

instructions for receiving one of the services provided by the first service provider, in response to a user selection of one of the first subset of service identifiers and in accordance with a first determined scope of services provided by the first service provider, wherein the first determined scope of services is determined in accordance with the domain name of the user account of the user of the client system; and

instructions for receiving one of the services provided by the second service provider, in response to a user selection of one of the second subset of service identifiers and in accordance with a second determined scope of services provided by the second service provider, wherein the second determined scope of services is determined in accordance with the domain name of the user account of the user of the client system.

13. The computer system of claim 12, further comprising:

instructions for displaying statistical information associated with at least one of the services provided by the first and second service providers.

14. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the statistical information includes high, low, and average daily user counts of the at least one of the services during a predefined time period and a count of users currently using the at least one of the services.

15. The computer system of claim 12, further comprising:

instructions for displaying user account information associated with the set of hosted services for the domain name of the user account of the user of the computer system.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the user account information includes a plurality of user account records, each user account record corresponding to a respective user and having multiple information fields, including a user'"'"'s name, an account type, an account name, an account resource indicator, and a timestamp indicating last visit by the user.

17. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the account type is one selected from the group comprising of “

Newly Created”

, “

Suspended”

, “

Active”

, “

Administrator”

, and “

Deleted”

.

18. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the instructions for displaying user account information include instructions for displaying different account types in the group using at least one of distinct colors, distinct backgrounds, distinct font styles, and distinct font sizes.

19. The computer system of claim 17, further comprising,

instructions for displaying additional information of a user account in response to a user selection of a user account record whose account type is “

Deleted”

, wherein the additional information includes a message indicating a residual time period before the user account is permanently deleted and an account revival link; and

instructions for sending a request to restore the user account in response to a user selection of the account revival link.

20. The computer system of claim 12, further comprising, instructions for displaying a domain name alias for the domain name of the user account of the user of the computer system, wherein the user can access the set of hosted services at the domain name alias.

21. A graphical user interface on a client system with a display, memory and one or more processors to execute one or more programs stored in the memory, the graphical user interface comprising:

at least a portion of a structured electronic document on the display, wherein the structured electronic document comprises a set of concurrently displayed hosted service identifiers for a domain name of a user account of a user of the client system, the set of concurrently displayed hosted service identifiers including;

a first subset of service identifiers corresponding to services provided by a first service provider; and

a second subset of service identifiers corresponding to services provided by a second service provider distinct from the first service provider;

a user interface for one of the services provided by the first service provider, in response to a user selection of one of the first subset of service identifiers and in accordance with a first determined scope of services provided by the first service provider, wherein the first determined scope of services is determined in accordance with the domain name of the user account of the user of the client system; and

a user interface for one of the services provided by the second service provider, in response to a user selection of one of the second subset of service identifiers and in accordance with a second determined scope of services provided by the second service provider, wherein the second determined scope of services is determined in accordance with the domain name of the user account of the user of the client system.

22. A server system, comprising:

memory;

a processor; and

at least one program stored in the memory and executed by the processor, the at least one program including;

instructions for providing to a client system, for concurrent display by the client system, a set of hosted service identifiers for a domain name of a user account of a user of the client system, the set of hosted service identifiers provided to the client system for concurrent display including;

a first subset of service identifiers corresponding to services provided by a first service provider; and

a second subset of service identifiers corresponding to services provided by a second service provider distinct from the first service provider;

instructions for determining a first scope of services provided by the first service provider in accordance with the domain name of the user account of the user of the client system;

instructions for providing to the user of the client system one of the services provided by the first service provider, in response to a user selection of one of the first subset of service identifiers and in accordance with the first determined scope of services provided by the first service provider;

instructions for determining a second scope of services provided by the second service provider in accordance with the domain name of the user account of the user of the client system; and

instructions for providing to the user of the client system one of the services provided by the second service provider, in response to a user selection of one of the second subset of service identifiers and in accordance with the second determined scope of services provided by the second service provider.

23. The server system of claim 22, further comprising:

instructions for providing to the client system, for display by the client system, statistical information associated with at least one of the services provided by the first and second service providers.

24. The server system of claim 23, wherein the statistical information includes high, low, and average daily user counts of the at least one of the services during a predefined time period and a count of users currently using the at least one of the services.

25. The server system of claim 22, further comprising:

instructions for providing to the client system, for display by the client system, user account information associated with the set of hosted services for the domain name of the user account of the user of the client system.

26. The server system of claim 25, wherein the user account information includes a plurality of user account records, each user account record corresponding to a respective user and having multiple information fields, including a user'"'"'s name, an account type, an account name, an account resource indicator, and a timestamp indicating last visit by the user.

27. The server system of claim 26, wherein the account type is one selected from the group comprising of “

Newly Created”

, “

Suspended”

, “

Active”

, “

Administrator”

, and “

Deleted”

.

28. The server system of claim 27, wherein the instructions for providing account information to the client system include instructions for displaying different account types in the group using at least one of distinct colors, distinct backgrounds, distinct font styles, and distinct font sizes.

29. The server system of claim 27, further comprising,

instructions for providing to the client system, for display by the client system, additional information of a user account in response to a user selection of a user account record whose account type is “

Deleted”

, wherein the additional information includes a message indicating a residual time period before the user account is permanently deleted and an account revival link; and

instructions for receiving and processing a request to restore the user account in response to a user selection of the account revival link.

30. The server system of claim 22, further comprising, instructions for providing to the client system, for display by the client system, a domain name alias for the domain name of the user account of the user of the client system, wherein the user can access the set of hosted services at the domain name alias.